The Baby Rocketboomer Generation

I keep an eye open on tech matters (it vaguely concerns my line of work), but I'd apparently missed out on what had been one of the neater things online: Rocketboom.

Like, everyone's been talking about it. Nerd drama drama drama. I'll get to that in a minute.

Rocketboom is a vlog run out of New York City. The show featured a gal named Amanda Congdon (not pictured to the left) doing a daily faux-newscast. Many of the clips I've checked out were, well, pointless... silly attempts at jokes, the occasional sight gag, plenty of non-sequiters. However, even at its' most irrelevant, the show had a charm. I'll tell you what I like about it-- that it's existed at all.

The online video phenomenon is just starting to roll out-- the explosion of YouTube and the expansion of the camwhore phenomenon and the introduction of phones capable of real-ass quality video are, more or less, providing opportunities for dozens upons dozens of merely adequate actors and actresses to pursue internet fame and fortune.

Except, of course, most of these businesses don't have an adequate business model. Look at YouTube-- think about the bandwidth that site pushes out daily to something like 80 million kids. Sure, it's low quality video (and it's not like they can downgrade it, that video can't get any worse), but it's viral, and it gets you hooked. That's why my ladyfriend and I can spend two hours just aimlessly watching videos.

Anyway, if YouTube gets bought or manages to parlay their brand into something strong, they'll make out just fine. Internet speeds are only going to get faster (eventually), and within five years people will be abandoning their regular cable service providers for full time Internet television. Of course, all coming to you live... from your old cable service provider's lines.

So, Rocketboom was the most popular vlog. It was a tiny operation consisting of maybe three people-- Amanda the host, Andrew the executive producer, and some dude named Mario. Amanda wanted to move the operation out to LA so that she could simultaneously pursue other endeavours. Andrew wasn't as into that, so he essentially fired her, thus creating a big stink that's permeated the internet for a good week or two.

They relaunched today with a new host, the lovely Brit Joanne Colan (pictured upper left). They did a pretty amusing bit on the red paperclip deal, where Joanne exchanges an item for an item for an item and so on and so forth, eventually winding up trading a pirate eyepatch for a titanium energy necklace.

My point? It's well produced, smart, and durable. They're creating brandnames out there... and so far, in the nu-nu-media world, there's only a handful worth a damn... TWIT, Digg, Ask a Ninja, and now, Rocketboom. My co-workers are trying to do live internet TV, which I think is totally worth doing, especially since it's not on my dime. It's going to be a bit longer before a standard sales and advertising model comes through for internet TV, but it'll happen.

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